President Nicklow Speaks at State of the Schools Event

President John Nicklow served as a panelist at a State of the Schools event hosted by Eastern Florida State College this week.

Florida Tech was a proud sponsor of the event, which featured discussions between Brevard County K-12 and higher education leaders and speeches by community business leaders.

“Providing quality education to prepare students for the future is essential for individuals, businesses and our community,” said Laurie Cappelli, the president and CEO of Community Credit Union, a sponsor of the event. “Heading into the next school year, I am eager to learn more about the state of schools and optimistic that we can come together as a community to make a positive difference.”

Moving into the Q&A portion of the event, panelists answered questions about successes from the last year, areas of improvement, future plans and mental health.

Along with Nicklow, panelists included Randy Fletcher, vice president for academic and student affairs at Eastern Florida State College; Mark Rendell, superintendent of Brevard Public Schools; and Pam Cavanaugh, associate vice provost, transfer student success, at the University of Central Florida.

“Things we do well are that we fulfill careers, particularly in STEM,” Nicklow said of Florida Tech’s successes. “We’re giving students the tools, experience and expertise to not just go to work or not just have a degree, but to have a career.”

Also representing Florida Tech at the event were Hamid Rassoul, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Theodore Richardson, Bisk College of Business dean; Wes Sumner, vice president for external affairs; Rob Salonen, director of government affairs and strategic partnerships; Dona Gaynor ’92 M.S., director of career services; and Travis Proctor ’98, board of trustees chairman.

Watch a recording of the event.